Lately I’ve started to notice a trend with the techs I look up to and admire. Besides being excellent at their craft, they tend to have two traits in common. They manage to have two skills I believe every tech should have, and they work constantly to improve those skills.
The creative and the technical.
As a sound engineer, the creative skill is the ability to craft a great audio mix, no matter your setup or the musicians you’re mixing. It’s the ability to get every instrument and every vocal sitting just right in the mix — the ability to create a dynamic musical sound.
The technical skill is being able to set up your audio system using Dante and knowing how a compressor works and what mics work best for different contexts, and being able to make the gear work the way you need it — no matter the situation.
Why do these two skills matter, and how do you get better? Let’s dig into that.
Always Be Prepared
Having a mastery of the creative and the technical helps you prepare no matter what situation you’re in. If your in-ears suddenly stop working, you’ll understand how to troubleshoot and get everything back up and running. If you have a basic knowledge of the technical, you’ll be able to step behind any gear and successfully apply your creative abilities.
Open for Opportunities
Being both a creative and technical production tech improves your job opportunities. If you’re an excellent audio engineer, you’ll have some incredible job opportunities in front of you. If you’re an incredible engineer that understands the tech behind live audio, you’ll get even more. As someone looking to hire a role, finding someone that can do both skills is incredibly rare. Strive to be that rare person that an employer is looking for.
Prepare for the Pivot
Having a handle on both skills also lets you pivot when necessary. If a role isn’t available that takes advantage of your creative skills, you can jump into the technical role right away. Perhaps you’ve run lights for two years straight, and you’re ready for a break. Start working with an installer to dream up and install lighting systems for churches. Having mastery of both abilities helps you prepare for the pivot, whether by choice or necessity.
Appreciate Where You Are
As you read this, you’re likely realizing you’re better at one skill than the other. Maybe you are more technically inclined but struggle to know how to create a great mix. Or maybe you can create a great mix but struggle to get and keep gear in working condition.
Before we go on, stop and appreciate where you are. Appreciate the fact that you’re skilled in one of these areas right now. That’s an incredible place to be. Your ability is going to take you far and allow you to serve the church incredibly well. Through experience you’ve grown in your technical ability. You’ve had incredible opportunities to practice your creativity.
While you’re naturally better at one skill than the other, it’s best to try to grow the other side so you’re more well-rounded. Let’s look at how to improve on the other side as a tech.
How to Improve Your Creative Side
If you struggle with the creative side of your craft, you’re likely someone who sees things in black and white. You read the manual and move on. Improving creatively means being at peace with things not being exact or perfect. The creative side is okay with the possibility of making a mistake. It’s tied to experimentation and trying new things.
The best way to get better at the creative is to create! Wish you were more skilled at mixing? Mix more. Want to get better at lighting? Create more lighting looks. Be okay with the fact that you’re not great now, but you’ll get better.
You can also jump-start and encourage your creativity by learning to appreciate what’s going on behind the scenes. Learn how people create their art, and apply the lessons you learn. Watch behind-the-scenes footage of bands in the studio, such as songwriters writing, and see how “art” is developed from scratch.
Read Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull if you want an example of an organization that operates creatively and encourages creativity in their team. Read Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon to get a kick start on your creative endeavor. Listen to The Moment with Brian Koppelman podcast as he interviews artists, musicians, and creatives of all types.
Again, most of all, just start. Be okay with not being the best at it, and work to improve. Pair your technical knowledge with a growing creative ability, and you’ll be perfectly equipped for any role you’re in.
How to Improve Your Technical Side
If you struggle with the technical side of your craft, you likely don’t enjoy the precision of the technical side of things. You thrive in spaces where you can experiment and explore and try new things. Getting better at the technical is about slowing down and seeing gear and tools as creative resources, as building blocks.
It’s like an incredibly gifted guitarist learning music theory. It won’t make her a worse musician. She won’t lose her creativity. It’s just another tool, another color in her color palette. Learning the technical allows you to understand how tools work and ultimately gives you the ability to be more creative with those tools.
To get better at the technical, you need to spend more time with the “how.” Understand how a compressor works. Understand which frequencies typically cause muddiness or harshness. Learn to associate the technical knowledge with the ear you already have. It will only make you better.
Practically, you can start reading manuals. Yes, I know — no one reads anymore, and certainly no one reads manuals. But you should start. Take a deep dive into learning the features of the software or hardware you use. Learn the “right” way to do things. Apply what you learn to your craft, and it will make creating easier — you’ll have new ideas in no time.
Stay up-to-date with current gear being released. Pay attention during NAMM to see what is announced, and frequently look through Worship Sound Pro to see what gear is available. Don’t see it as gear, but as tools to create with.
Look at certifications or trainings with the tools you regularly use. Learning the “right” way to do something can help speed up your workflow and give you better skills to use in your craft.
If you’re looking to grow as a production tech, hoping to transition to a new role, or getting ready for something different, focus on growing in these two areas. Give yourself more opportunities to grow creatively, and spend more time doing the deep work of learning the technical skills. Pair them both together, and you’ll be a far better creative tech than you currently are.